Formation packer for oil wells



Nov. 26, 1940. c. w. FISHER FORMATION PACKER FOR OIL WELLS Filed April 4, 1959 Char/e5 W F/lsef INVENTOR Patented Nov. 26, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENTl OFFICE Robinson Packer Company,

Okla. f

Tulsa County,

o Application April 4, 1939, Serial No. 266,013

3 Claims. (Cl. 16B-12) The invention relates to formation packers for oil wells, and has for its object to provide an expanding packer, which may be expanded into frictional engagement with the wall of the well 5 by a tapering mandrel slidably mounted on a tube and forced. into the packer and entirely lling the space between the packer and the tubing, thereby obviating the collection of oil in the packer, which is now the common diiiiculty with expanding packers.

A further object is to sldably mount the tapered mandrel on the outside of the outer packing carrying tube and to control the upward and `downward movement of the packer by means of l5 the inner tube and by an upward and downward movement of the inner tube.

.A further object is to provide the inner tube with lugs extending into vertically elongated slots in the outer tube and into an annular channel in the mandrel and to provide the upper ends of the elongated slots with recesses horizontally disposed for the reception of the lugs for holding the mandrel in inoperative raised position.

A further object is to provide the outer tube with a mandrel controlled hook wall anchor and a lug received in a horizontal notch of the hook wall slide which is disengaged from the hook wall anchor when the outer tube is partially rotated by a partial rotation of the inner tube when the lugs thereof engage and enter into the upper ends vof the elongated slots.,

A'further object is `to provide a formation packer of .a mandrel expanding type, as distinguished from a compression type, thereby obviating the formation of an air chamber within the packer and in which oil collects and interferes with the proper operation of the packer.

A further Aobject is to provide a tapered mandrel expanding device for formation packers, which, when withdrawn from the packer, is free to turnwithout causing a torsional action on the rubber packer. 45 With the above and other objects in view the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawing, described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise 50 embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of what is claimed without depart- .ing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawing: i Figure 1 is a vertical transverse sectional view through a portion of a Well, and showing the device being lowered 'into a well and partly in section.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing the packer set and expanded.

Figure 3 is a detailed perspective view of a 5 portion of the tubes, showing the relation of the lugs and slots.

Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the mandrel, parts being broken away to better show the structure.

In some oil producing wells, gas is found in the top of the producing formation I of the well 2 and oil in the bottom of said formation. To

get the best results and to prolong the natural flow of the well, and at the same time utilize the 1.5 gas as a booster, it is necessary to set a packer below the bottom of the gas level, as shown in y Figure 2. In this way the gas pressure is held in the formation pushing down on the oil and utilized for assisting in the lifting of the oil 20 from the well.

'I'he packing device is carriedl by an outer pipe 5 through which the tube 4 extends, and through which tube the oil is forced upwardly by the gas pressure. The outer pipe 5surrounds the tube 25 4 and its upper end terminates in a mandrel 6 of the hook wall anchor and which mandrel is provided with toothed slips 1, which when forced outwardly grip the inner wall of the casing 8 for holding the device at a predetermined position. so The anchor is provided with a sleeve 9 having a horizontal recess I0 in which the pin II, carried by the pipe 5, is received, clearly shown in Figure l, for holding the anchor in inoperative position when the device is' lowered intoA the 35 well, for positioning the packer hereinafter set forth. When the packer has been properly positioned the outer pipe 5 is partially rotated by clockwise rotation of tube 4 from the surface for moving the pin II out of the horizontal recess 40 I0 and'allows the pipe 5 to move downwardly 'for forcing the mandrel Ii between the slips 'I and into anchoring engagement with the casing 8 as shown in Figure 2.

The lower end of the tube 4 extends through 45 a stuing box I2 carried by the lower end of the pipe 5, and it will be noted 4that the tube 4 has a limited upward and downward movementv axially within the pipe 5, the purpose of which will presently appear. 5o

One of the sections of the pipe string 5 is provided with oppositely disposed vertically elon-l gated slots I3, the upper ends of which terminate in horizontally disposed recesses I4 and y slidably mounted inv said slots are outwardly ex- 55 tending lugs l carried by the tube 4. When the packer is in inoperative position and is being lowered into the well, the lugs I5 are in the repacker I9 reaches theproper position, the tube 4 is partially rotated so the lugs I5 will 'move out of the recesses I4 into the upper ends of the elongated slots I3, however these lugs will engage the opposite walls of the slots I3 and will impart a partial rotation in the same direction to the pipe 5. The rotation of the pipe -5 will move the pin II out of the recess I0 of the sleeve 9 and when this happens the pipe 5 is lowered a limited distance by the tube 4 for operati'ng the anchoring device. 4'Ihe continued downward movement of the tube 4 with its lugs I5 in the slots I3 will force the tapered mandrel I8 downwardly in close sliding engagement with the outer periphery of the pipe 5 and its vanishing lower end will enter the annular packer I9 in close engagement with the inner periphery thereof and expand said packer outwardly into -close frictional engagement with the wall of the well for sealing in the gas pressure. I'he lower end of the pipe 5 is provided with an annular rib 20, which limits the downward movement of the mandrel. It willbe seen that the mandrel entirely fills the space between the inner periphery of the packer sleeve I9 and the outer periphery of the pipe 5; hence an air pocket is not formed in which oil will collect and interfere with the operation of the device, which is one 'a twisting or torsional action on the packing sleeve I9.

The gas pressure in the producing formation is held in the formation and pushes downwardly on the oil and assists in lifting the oil through the tube 4 by acting on the upper surfacev of the ou when the 1ower end of the tube 4 i swomerged. When necessary the device is reset according to the oil level and this would become apparent from the flow of gas through the tube 4.' The lower end of the expansible packer sleeve I9 is preferably wired as at 2-I to the lower end of the pipe 5 to prevent entrance of oil into the sleeve I9. It is to be understood that the tube 4 as well as the pipe string 5 may be built up from a plurality of sections; a limited number being shown for purposes of illustration.

From the above it will be seen that a formation packer is provided for oil wells, which may be easily positioned and radially expanded into packing engagement with the wall of the well. It will also be seen that by providing a tapered mandrel an oil collecting pocket willbe prevented within the packer sleeve when the mandrel is in position or removed therefrom, and any oil which may collect therein may be forced outwardly through the upper end of the packer when it contracts, therefore the packer will not become airbound.

The invention having been set forth what is claimed as new and useful is:

1. A formation packer comprising an outer pipe, an inner tube, an elongated sleeve packer carried by the outer pipe, said packer sleeve being anchored at its lower end to the outer pipe, means carried by the outer pipe for anchoring the same in fixed position in a. well, an elongated tapered mandrel carried by the outer'pipe and slidable thereon, said mandrel being of greater length than the packer sleeve and adapted to expand the same substantially throughout extending through the wall of the outer pipe through horizontal slots therein and into an annular channel in the upper end of the mandrel and adapted to be rotated with the inner tube into branch slots in connection with the horizontal slots in the outer pipe for forcing the mandrel into the packer sleeve upon a downward movement of the inner tube.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 including a limiting member carried by the outer fpipe adjacent its lower end and the. lower end ofthe packer sleeve and in the pathof the lower end of the tapered mandrel.

' 3. A device as set forth in claim 1 including a packing box'member carried by .the lower end of the outer pipe and on which the lower end of the packer sleeve rests. 4

CHARLES W. FISHER. 

